Yakubu Busari,Jos
Barely two weeks after the visit of President Muhammad Buhari to Plateau State, the state governor, Simon Lalong has been appointed as a member of the National Food Security Council.
The council, which is chaired by Buhari has only six states governors with proven commitment to agriculture as members working in collaboration with seven federal ministries, the CBN and other security agencies.
President Buhari had commissioned 400 number of tractors while on the two day working visit to Plateau.
The other state governors in the council are the govenrors of Kebbi, Lagos, Delta,Taraba Ebonyi and the seven cabinet ministers are that of Agriculture and Rural Development, Finance, Interior, Industry, Trade and Investment, Water resources, Environment, Budget and National planning.
The broad objectives of the Council includes developing sustainable solutions the farmers-herdsmen clashes; Climate change and Desertification and their impact on farmlands; grazing areas and lakes amongst others.
It will also take interest in regional and global policies and trends that bear implications for food security in Nigeria.
Plateau State commissioner for information, Yakubu Dati, in a statement recalled that at the inception of the Lalong administration in 2015, the governor and his team saw the need to promote the agricultural sector for the development of the state and its people by making agriculture one of its policy thrusts.
He said the farmer-friendly governor did not just talk but swung into action by immediately releasing funds to the state agricultural development programme which brought back life to the agency which had become inactive.
He said, “Extension service which was almost extinct in the State was resuscitated With the employment of 400 ad hoc staff to guide farmers on best agricultural practices.
“In addition, the payment of counterpart funds attracted national and international collaboration that has further enhanced agricultural production.”
The commissioner said due to the interventions of the Lalong administration, the World Bank through the state Fadama 111, additional funding is expecting two crop value chain programmes in the state.
“Modern tomato farming is on the increase With a lot of green houses springing up all over the state as well as improvement in rice farming.
Another giant stride in the sector is that potato farming is receiving a boost which has resulted in Plateau being selected as the only state to run the national potato value chain,” the commissioner further stated.
Dati explained that it was in furtherance of the desire to encourage a robust agricultural sector, that the governor created the enabling environment and sponsored the first ever farmers’ summit in the state which resulted in in far reaching resolutions.
